The Rest of Our Lives
by Jodeci
Summary: After her conflict with General Budo, Mine is rushed back to the hideout by Tatsumi. Mine enters a relationship with Tatsumi and she joins Night Raid in their final preparations and eventual assault on the Imperial capital. Night Raid's relationships become shaken however, when Tatsumi experiences other romantic encounters. {AU}
1. Chapter 1

"I won."

Gazing into the endless sky she felt her thoughts of doubt relinquish. Her victorious upset against one of the imperial's most prized generals brought her the greatest joy that only the most seasoned of assassins could understand. Still, though, her wounds were serious. She struggled to keep her balance but she wavered, falling backwards into the pit blasted into existence moments earlier. She embraced her fate and allowed herself to give in to the cold grasp of unconsciousness.

She awoke to cold air pattering her face and softly blowing in her silky pink hair. She looked up and felt a genial feeling of reassurance in what she made out to be as Tatsumi's face. She wanted to express how happy she was to see him and tease about how worried he looked but all her body could muster was a plea requesting to put her down and allow her to embrace her fate. She didn't want to be a burden to the endgame and she felt death was the best option fitting for an assassin like her.

"Put me down."

She whimpered. Her voice feeble and broken. She was barely audible, but Tatsumi was very intent on making sure he understood just what she was saying.

"No! I'm going to take you back to the hideout! Your wounds are going to heal quick! You'll-"

"Tatsumi…"

She faintly whispered, as her eyes fell shut.

"Mine!"

Tatsumi painfully shouted. Tears rolled off his cheeks onto Mine's tattered pink dress.

"Tatsumi."

Mine said, as she managed to open her eyes halfway. She made smile of content.

"I'm so glad I fell in love with you."

Mine gathered almost all the strength left in her body. She sat up a little bit and kissed Tatsumi the best she could in her state.

Mine fell from his embrace. Tatsumi was silent. He felt like screaming but all he could was gaze at the sleeping angel clutched in his arms. He gritted his teeth intensely and with a ferocity, unmatched by the entire imperial army combined, he shot off in the direction of the hideout.

* * *

Tatsumi didn't even notice that he had smashed through thick concrete wall. Najenda stared curiously at the cloud of dust. Her furrowed brow turned into a soft look of concern after the dust settled revealing Tatsumi holding a very badly injured Mine. Najenda felt her heart ache when she looked at the despair in Tatsumi's eyes. Without a word she took action.

She went to the hold beneath the hideout to retrieve Tennin. It is a Harp Imperial arm that restores vitality. She seized the harp with speed and intensity and rushed back upstairs.

"Get back Tatsumi."

Najenda commanded. Tatsumi broke himself away from Mine and joined Najenda's side. Najenda poised her divine instrument and began strumming. The echo of the string's vibrations dominated the airwaves. It was absolutely beautiful.

As Najenda's strumming continued, Tatsumi noticed Mines body returning from badly scarred and bruised back to her cherub like complexion. The harp was syphoning itself into Mine's life force. Slowly, the harp withered away into nothing.

Mine lay unmoving, her creamy white skin shining in the moonlight. Her face was immaculate and unmarked.

"Mine!?"

Tatsumi pleaded

"ngh-"

Mine whimpered.

"Mine!"

Tatsumi felt infinitely relieved and grateful for Najenda. Najenda crossed her arms and looked away with a slight smile. She felt, in her heart, that she couldn't just let a love like theirs die.

Mine opened her eyes.

"W-Where am I..?"

She sounded like a child lost in a maze.

"Your safe, Mine."

Najenda assured.

"Tatsumi got you here with just enough life force in your body for Tennin to fortify."

"You...You used Tennin on me? But, why…?"

Najenda smiled.

"I couldn't let an opportunity, like the both of your's, to pass."

"I don't understand…"

"You don't have to, Mine."

Najenda knew the feelings of love and just how blind they could be.

Mine looked at Tatsumi. Her face turned from creamy white to a strawberry pink when their eyes met.

' _Tatsumi's really matured, hasn't he?'_

She thought.

' _He looks so serious.'_

She chuckled a little.

"What's so funny!"

Tatsumi said, agitation in his voice.

"Mine! you had me so worried…"

Tears welled in his eyes eventually overflowing onto her body.

Mine smiled. She wasn't concerned about concealing her blush. She looked into Tatsumi's eyes, elucidating any feelings of worry or anguish he might have been feeling. Tatsumi dried his eyes and smiled back at Mine. Tatsumi caught Mine off guard and kissed her intently, tightening his embrace as he got deeper into the kiss. Her heart melted

' _Tatsumi...'_

She shed a tear of joy. Tatsumi broke away from Mine's lips, rupturing the saliva string as he did. Mine was gazing at him blushing with a far off look. Tatsumi's voice grew a bit angry.

"Mine! Don't ever put yourself in danger like that again! If you died… I'd never forgive you."

Najenda snapped out of her vicarious fantasy. Her sense of duty was back.

"That's enough you two. We need to regroup with the others. Mine, outstanding job eliminating Buduo. You will be compensated handsomely. Oh, and I'm sorry about Pumpkin. I guess it couldn't withstand your emotional energy."

Mine nodded Najenda shamefully. She felt bad for destroying Najenda's weapon.

Tatsumi helped Mine up by her hand.

"We will discuss our attack plan for the final assault when the others get here."

Najenda affirmed.

"Understood."

* * *

Figures whooshed into the hideout masked by the black curtain of the night. Lights emanating from the candles aided Najenda in identifying the figures. Akame and Leone were battle worn and their faces expressed concern as they walked through the breached wall with fatigue in their steps.

"You're still as talented as ever, Najenda."

Leone commended Najenda's musical ability. It had been a long time since she'd heard Najenda play a harp, and judging that Najenda didn't own any harps anymore besides what was Tennin, she knew what had happened and why Najenda had played it.

"I'm guessing Mine's alright?"

Leone asked.

Najenda, Leone, and Akame all looked at Mine. Mine nodded. Leone and Akame shared a moment of relief. Akame walked hastily towards Mine. She embraced Mine, holding her head tightly against her chest.

"We almost thought w-we...:"

Akame choked up.

"...we lost you."

Leone felt Akame's pain. She thought of her fallen brethren.

' _Lubbock, Su...'_

She scoffed menacingly and cursed the Imperials.

Mine looked up at Akame.

"Tatsumi refused to let me die. He got me here before Najenda's Imperial Arm became useless to save me."

Akame dried her eyes and smiled proudly at Tatsumi.

"You've grown so much, Tatsumi."

Akame said. Leone smiled and walked over to him.

"You bet he has! He's almost as strong a Bulat was!"

Leone acclimated, giving Tatsumi a heavy handed love tap.

Tatsumi winced at Bro's name. He was unaffected by Leone's lighthearted attitude. Deep down he was seething. He glared upwards with a look in his eyes that could burn holes through a legendary danger beast.

"Listen."

Everyone adopted his serious vibe.

"When we attack the capital tomorrow, we will be efficient, tactful, and carry out Najenda's plans to their exact instruction. The mission will be completed and not one of you will die. I will make sure of that. For all of our fallen, we will survive and carry on our lives as happily and prosperous as we can. We will fulfill what they never had the chance to. We owe them that."

They all felt a silent agreement.

"I'm tired of losing family… Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Su, Lubbock…"

Tears began to form in his eyes.

"I wasn't strong enough to save them then."

He clenched his fist.

"But now… Now, I'm strong. Now I have the means to defend the ones I care about. So tomorrow, we're all coming back alive."

Night Raid agreed on Tatsumi's sentiment.

Najenda stood up and walked off in the direction of her quarter's giving orders as she went.

"All of you, get a bite to eat. I'm sure you're all starving. Take a well deserved rest. When you're done, meet me in the briefing room."

With that she, disappeared into her room. The four filed out of the room towards the dining area.

* * *

Najenda retreated to her chair, reclining in it after she sat down. She gazed off into the dim room contemplating as she lit a cigarette. She took a puff and fell deep into thought. She exhaled. The smoke created a veil around her silver hair as she sat there resting her hand on her chin.

She felt despair. She thought about Su and how she missed having him around. Not just as a utility, but as a companion. She definitely knew she was upset, but for him, some reason she couldn't feel despair over his destruction. It might've been because Najenda was always distant and unattached to things. Perhaps it may have been because Susanoo wasn't a living breathing human. Either way, the despair she was feeling wasn't associated with Su.

She explored her feelings thinking about why she was feeling so heartbroken. Thats when she thought about Lubbock. Her chest writhed from heartache. She remembered his proud, young face at the front her ranks like it was yesterday. There he was, kneeling before her, clad in full armor ready to serve and protect her in the face of any threat. Najenda grew angry at the harsh realization that the Imperials had robbed him of his life.

Najenda could no longer hold back her sorrow and it broke her. She recoiled in grief, hunching over in her chair. The cigarette fell to the ground out of her mouth creating a fiery display. She sobbed as images of Lubbock forced their way into her memory. She cherished all the times she caught him shamelessly staring at her with his confident smile back in her days as a general. She fondly remembered the night when he threw away his identity and sense of self worth in the Imperial Capital to join her in Night Raid. She also remembered all the fond memories they shared there together. She didn't get it till now. Lubbock loved her passionately but she never caught on. Now it was too late. She cried into her mechanical arm uncontrollably as she tightened the grasp on her forehead.

' _Lubbock... I'm so sorry.'_

* * *

The remaining members of Night Raid ate in silence. The task ahead of them weighed heavy on their minds and no one was taking it lightly. The tension in the air was thick and it was going to be tough to break the silence, but Tatsumi had to get sugar for his tea somehow. He was uncomfortably staring at the sugar that was just out his reach for a while now, but he was too proud to ask. His tea was getting cold though so he had to compromise his pride and ask Mine for the sugar.

"Hey Mine…"

He was sitting next to her, but he was still too embarrassed to look her in the eyes so he looked a little off to the side when he asked.

"Yes, Tatsumi?..."

She asked, looking off to the side in the other direction. They were both blushing.

"Would you mind passing me the sugar."

He grumbled at the triviality of his question. There really was no serious way to ask for sugar.

"Sure."

Mine slided the sugar over to Tatsumi across the table. She wasn't in the mood to tease and berate. Tatsumi received the sugar and poured some in his tea.

Leone was smirking. She was watching them the whole time. Their new attitudes towards each other was just fuel for Leone's playful nature. She hopped out of her chair over to them. She stood just behind them and she squeezed them together.

"Hehe! You guys are too cute! After the war is over, you guys should get married and move to the Southern Islands."

"We're not moving, and we're not getting married!"

They shouted at the same time and in the same exact tone. They were starting to adopt each others personalities.

Leone snickered.

"Well it doesn't matter if you want to or not… You're already bound by the red thread of fate!"

She squeezed a little tighter.

"Leone!"

Mine shouted. Her face was pink.

Akame sat up. The screeching of her chair against the stone floor silenced everyone. The three looked up expecting something serious. Akame looked Tatsumi coldy, dead in the eyes.

"Seconds please."

Tatsumi's mouth fell open.

"You had a full plate of meat! How could you still be hungry!?"

Akame's expression didn't change. Tatsumi got up and walked woefully back into the kitchen. Leone and Mine laughed together as Akame sat back down.


	2. Chapter 2

Najenda had exhausted the last of her tears. She struggled to accept her reality but she eventually did. All she could do was avenge Lubbock through her next and final calculated attack on the capital. She resolved, through Lubbock's death, a new sense of vengeance. Najenda was inspired to bring out the most in her cunning nature to devise the most terrifying and unstoppable assault utilizing the remaining members of Night Raid. Leone, Tatsumi, Mine, and Akame, in their present state, were more than enough force than she needed to fulfill the devastating battle strategies she was about to enforce.

With the finesse of a former general, she spun around in her chair, whisking a pencil and scroll of paper planting both down intensely on her desk. She went into a trance as she started hastily writing. She already knew what to do. Najenda was going to make the Imperials wish they were already dead. Najenda kept her subordinates strengths in mind and thought of ways to exploit their abilities in the most unfair fashions. Najenda no longer cared for honor in combat. This was about vengeance. There would be no mercy.

About a half hour passed and with a final stroke of the pen, it was complete. Najenda got up and expelled herself from her dark and humid dwellings. She walked down the corridor and into the briefing room.

As she entered, she saw her bunch being loose and at ease as usual. Leone was teasing Mine, Akame was cleaning her sword at the table, and Tatsumi was absent. She already knew why though. Someone had to do the dishes. She took her respective seat at the head of the desk and prepared another cigarette. She looked up at Leone and Mine and noticed that Mine was red like a tomato and she was folding her arms over her chest. She overheard Leone asking Mine about Tatsumi's breast preference. Leone was saying that Tatsumi probably doesn't like big boobs because he didn't choose her or Esdeath. Najenda smiled slightly and looked at Akame. Akame kept cleaning her sword, unphased, only glancing up at Leone and Mine every now and then.

Just as Najenda finished her cigarette, Tatsumi walked in with a disgruntled look on his face. He had his hands above his head as he walked to his chair next to Mine. Najenda promptly started after Tatsumi took his seat.

"There are two targets left. The Prime Minister and the Emperor. For their assassination, I have prepared a plan. The plan will be divided into two phases. The first phase is the reconnaissance and sabotage phase. Tatsumi and Akame, you will go into the city disguised. You will scour streets for the state of the capital. I want to know just how prepared they are for the assault. After you have gathered sufficient information, you will pursue Kurome. As far as I know, after her bout with Chelsea, she doesn't have much fight left in her so it shouldn't be difficult to single her out and eliminate her. The less Jaegers we have to deal with the better. Understood?"

Akame was shocked by her bosses cold attitude. She'd never seen her so merciless. She wanted Kurome to die honorably in combat, but she understood the tact in Najenda's plan. Akame strongly opposed her decision but she couldn't find it in herself to argue against it. She grit her teeth inconspicuously and nodded.

"Understood."

Najenda nodded and continued.

"Mine and Leone. You are going to set a trap."

Najenda pulled out a nifty device. It was a steel case containing a spool of thread in the center. It wasn't just thread though. It was the same thread used in Lubbock's Imperial Arm.

"Wrap this wire around the entire capital building. Once you've wrapped the entire perimeter, the wire will connect itself as if it were never separated. I trust with your deft hands and sly natures, no one should notice what you guys are doing."

Najenda tossed the spool to Mine.

"We'll activate the trap the night before phase two."

She smiled wickedly.

"We're going to slice the capital building clean in half."

After that last statement, Najenda stood up.

"That's all for tonight. Get some rest."

Najenda walked out of the room.

The four sat in silence surprised by Najenda's dead serious attitude. It took a few moments for the group to fully comprehend tomorrow's plan.

Akame sheathed her sword and got up, walking out of the room.

* * *

Akame didn't know how to accept the murder she was going to commit. She sat on her bed staring at her crossed legs. She thought about Kurome. She remembered having to endure the hell that was the assassins trials with her. She was Kurome's protector until Kurome became strong enough to defend herself. Kurome even managed to defend her at times and through sheer will, and desire to protect each other, they managed to survive.

Even now, with Kurome as an enemy of the resistance, Akame still felt a strong bond with her. She wanted to give her a fair shake in combat, but she knew Kurome was weak and in no condition to fight. To single out and eliminate her was like sending an entire military unit to kill the weakest danger beast. She started getting more and more angry. She thought about how the Imperials treated her sister. They treated her as a weapon rather than a human. She was going to die now because of it and there was nothing she could do about it.

' _It's just not fair, Kurome. Why couldn't you have just joined Night Raid with me? Why?'_

Kurome's fate made Akame sure in that she was going to make the Imperials pay. She thought of all the young girls like her who were losing loved ones to the hands of the Imperial Empire. She grew vengeful. She felt a newfound hatred towards the capital. A hatred that could only be relinquished through the fall of the empire. She clenched her fists and made a solemn vow to herself to be so fearsome in the upcoming days that the Imperial's guards would be scared to walk around in public. She wanted to put an end to the empire as soon and swiftly as possible.

* * *

Leone let out a huge sigh for no particular reason other than to reassure herself. She put her hands over her head and closed her eyes. Tatsumi and Mine nodded Leone, and they got up and left together.

They were walking down the hall side by side, not saying a word. They didn't feel the need to say anything to each other. They were perfectly fine with just enjoying each others company.

They arrived at Mine's room. Mine turned to face her door. She was reaching for the door knob when Tatsumi made her freeze with his question.

"Hey Mine... would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

She jumped out of surprise at the request, still refusing to make eye contact. She was facing the door still with her hand resting on the door knob. Tatsumi was awaiting her response. She had already made up her mind. She was just waiting for the right moment to say it. She shifted her glance from the door to Tatsumi with a cute nod and smile. She was blushing slightly.

"No I wouldn't mind that at all, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi smiled at her warmly. He softly touched her hand and looked for approval in her shimmering eyes. He locked his fingers with hers and they walked down the hall towards his room. They walked together holding hands until they eventually came upon Tatsumi's room. He opened the door and walked in.

Mine stood at the door blushing as she watched Tatsumi walk over to the window pulling the curtains open. The moonlight illuminated the room somewhat.

' _I-I'm about to be in Tatsumi's room'_

"Hmm?"

Tatsumi turned around to face Mine.

"Arn't you gonna come in?"

"Oh! Sorry…"

She was inadvertently dazing off. She slowly crept towards him shyly looking at the ground. Tatsumi smiled at Mine's endearing expression.

"Come on Mine, we need to get some rest."

Tatsumi's serious tone had enough conviction to make Mine more comfortable. She looked up and smiled contently. Tatsumi wasn't interested in that as of the moment. He handed her a new toothbrush.

"Here. You should go clean up. I'm gonna change while you do that."

Her eyes grew wide.

' _Oh, right! I forgot got to grab my clothes!'_

She thought.

Tatsumi chuckled at her expression.

"Don't worry about your clothes. You can just borrow one of my shirts."

Mine's face turned red again. She felt strongly about declining his offer, but she kinda wanted to wear one of his shirts.

"O-Ok…But what about my pants?"

He smiled in a cute, Tatsumi way at her question. Unlike Lubba.

"Well we're not going for a hike, it's not like you need pants to go to bed."

He said in a matter of fact way. Because it was Tatsumi saying this, and not someone else, she understood the sense in what he was saying rather than being belligerent and attempting to murder him.

She nodded.

"Ok~…"

She stood there looking at him for awhile expecting something else.

"Hey if you're not gonna brush your teeth first, I'm going to go."

She snapped out of it.

"No I'm going! I'm sorry."

Mine walked into the bathroom. She shut the door and began washing up.

Tatsumi started changing as he thought about the next day. He threw on some baggy shorts and a black tank-top and jumped onto the bed to wait for his turn in the bathroom. He was a bit anxious. He didn't want to let Najenda down, or the others. For some reason he felt like those words he said about protecting everyone were just out of passion and that they had no real ground to them. He started to feel doubtful. But then he started to think about Bro and everything he had taught him in their training. Bulat was the one who truly paved the way for his strength. He felt like he would be shaming Bulat if he didn't believe in himself. He felt more confidence after that resignation and started to doze off. His eyes closed from exhaustion.

* * *

"Tatsumi!"

Tatsumi jumped at the exclamation. He glanced up at Mine's slightly irritated face, and got up off the bed. He started to stretch.

"How can you be sleeping already? You need to wash up t-"

She felt a rush of estrogen and began blushing at Tatsumi's muscular physique in the pale moonlight. He was pretty sculpted. Especially after all the intensive training he'd been doing lately. He finished stretching and was scratching his head.

"What?"

He was clueless as to why Mine was staring at him.

"Um, It's your turn now."

She said shyly.

"Oh. I guess I dozed off. Hahahahaha!"

He gave her an innocent and pure smile like the one that made Esdeath fall in love with him. Mine smiled back at him warmly.

"I guess i'll be changing now..."

She reminded.

"Oh, okay. Uhmm…"

He started looking for a shirt to give her. It didn't take long. He found the tan sweater vest that he always wore and handed it to her. She took it in her small hands. Tatsumi smiled at her and went to the bathroom to clean up, shutting the door behind him.

Mine started to undress. She took off her leggings first. Then, she took off her pink dress and exchanged it for Tatsumi sweater. She reached up over her head and effortlessly slipped it on. It was clearly too big for her. It drooped lazily on her, revealing one of her shoulders and bra strap. It was just big enough to cover her panties. Her face was warm at thought of wearing Tatsumi's clothes. It smelled nice and it made her feel like she was his.

She undid the ribbons in her hair and let it fall into it's natural state. She sat on the bed and started brushing it with the hairbrush she found in Tatsumi's bathroom. After she finished brushing, she got up and walked to the cupboard to put the brush away. She opened it up, but all the open space she could find was at the very top shelf. She got up on her tiptoes and reached as high as she could with the hairbrush in hand. She was straining herself trying to reach the top shelf because she was so small.

The bathroom door opened.

"Gahh!"

The first thing Tatsumi saw out of the bathroom was a view of Mine's bare legs. She was too enveloped in the task she was trying to complete to notice the noise he made. His gaze started to shift to her beautiful frame and creamy skin. Her bare shoulder and bra strap were teasing him and making him yearn for her. His cheeks started getting warm and he felt his eyes slowly tracking from the small of her back to her inner thighs. His passion was overflowing.

She finally managed to get the brush on the shelf, letting out a victory sigh as she did. She planted her feet back down and spun around to face Tatsumi.

"I got it!"

She exclaimed excitedly.

Tatsumi's legs felt weak when she looked him.

' _She's so pretty'_

He thought, gazing longingly into her hot pink eyes. He finally managed to find something to say.

"I-I hope my sweater is comfortable enough for you…~"

She smiled.

"I love it, Tatsumi."

He blushed and got fidgety at her response, scratching his head again.

"Well that's good then. Hahaha…"

He said, giving her that innocent smile again.

Tatsumi looked at the bed.

"We'd better get some rest."

Mine nodded in agreement. Tatsumi pulled the sheets off and layed down. Mine layed down next to him cuddling up against his side intimately and Tatsumi pulled the sheets over, covering them both. Mine's hair was really long and it was everywhere. It was almost like a giant fluffy pillow. Some of it was on Tatsumi's abdomen and some of it was on one of his arms. Mine looked into Tatsumi's eyes and she placed a hand on Tatsumi's chest where his heart was.

"I know you're nervous about tomorrow. We all are. But there's really nothing to be nervous about. You should be confident in you abilities, Tatsumi. You're really strong. I believe that you could save all of us if you had too."

Tatsumi felt a sense of relief and confidence in what Mine was telling him. She made the last of his doubts disappear and made him feel like he could do anything. He placed his hand over her's. He enjoyed every aspect of her company. The sweet smell of her hair, the touch of her soft hand on his body, and warmth she was sharing with him. He thought about what she meant to him and how close he came to losing her. A fire ignited in the pit of his stomach.

' _If any of them even so much as touch her again...'_

He thought. He completely forgot about what doubt even was. Just the action of protecting Mine was enough for him to become an unstoppable force. He felt gratitude towards her.

"Thank you, Mine. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would be able to find this kind of strength. The Imperials are going to be in deep shit when we strike."

She blushed at his outward confidence. She smiled and placed her head fittingly on his shoulder. Tatsumi squirmed at the feeling of her smooth noise brushing up against his neck and he blushed. They both closed there eyes and drifted off to sleep together.


	3. Chapter 3

Leone pried open her drowsy eyes, wiping the drool from her mouth as she picked her head up off the desk. She was alone in the briefing room. She had no Idea that she fell asleep. It took her a moment to gain some sort of clarity. Leone got out of her chair and stretched making feminine squeals as she did. She looked around and thought of what to do. She'd already been napping for quite some time, so she couldn't go to bed. At least not at that moment. The others were asleep, so she couldn't talk with anyone and the Taverns in the Slums were too far away from her, so she couldn't go out drinking and gambling. Besides, she had an important day ahead of her so she couldn't do that anyways.

She looked through the glass window into the night sky. The glow of the white moon reflected in her golden eyes. Her instincts compelled her to take a walk outside, so that's what she did.

Leone walked down the halls of the hideout, being courteous not to make too much noise. Everyone was asleep and it was dead silent. Leone, being a very talented martial artist, knew how to muffle her movements so she was making almost no noise. She spotted the breach in the hideout's wall at the end of the hallway that Tatsumi was responsible for. She decided to make it her gateway.

' _Heh. That's a security issue.'_

Leone thought. She shrugged.

' _Oh well. No one knows this place exists anyway. We'll make the kid fix it tomorrow, or something.'_

She exited the hideout into the dark forest.

The blonde woman strolled through the forest with her hands on her hips like a lion pacing around, proudly, in it's territory. Leone liked taking walks at night. She could forget about the empire and all the misery in the world and just listen to the sounds of the forest. The sounds of the crickets calling each other, the critters crackling sticks and leaves in the bushes, the owls hooting, and the water flowing down the numerous streams all made her feel at ease. She loved the feeling of the cool wind blowing on her and the sound the trees made when the breeze passed through them. It was a serene environment and it calmed her normally gung-ho and outgoing personality.

* * *

Leone had been walking for awhile and she was pretty deep into the forest. She wasn't worried about finding her way back. She has an uncanny sense of direction. A perk of being Lionelle's wielder.

She came upon a clearing in the forest. It was flaunting an inviting crystal clear stream. She kneeled down to take a sip when she heard branches breaking followed by screaming off in the distance. She could tell the difference between an animal and a human screaming and she knew this was no animal.

Leone moved silently towards the noise. The voices were starting to get more and more lucid as she closed in and she could almost make out sentences. She found a tree to hide behind. She carefully peeked out at the scenario unfolding in front of her.

There were two men in suits standing over a poor looking girl. She was beautiful. They were on a trail leading to the capital, it seemed. Leone just happened to be in the tree line adjacent to the trail.

"Aw come on man! We already got enough female servants for Mr. Shinji. Let's just have some fun with this one."

The first man said. They were both wearing suits and armed with swords, sheathed near there belt.

"Haha, alright. I don't see why not. Let's kill her when we're done so she doesn't have to live with the shame of what we're about to do to her."

The poor young girl looked up at them with terror in her eyes. They seemed to be feeding off of her fear.

"No. Please don't do this."

The two male voices broke out into despicable laughs at her pleas.

Leone stood behind the tree trying not to shatter the earth beneath her. She stared coldly at her feet.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

The first man shouted, practically drooling. He started walking towards the girl.

"Hey, make sure you don't break her. I want some fight left in her when it's my t-"

A yellow light gleamed splendidly in the tree line and two massive paws sporting wicked claws eviscerated the tree beside them. They were surprised at what they had just witnessed and they instinctively put their hands on their swords. The berzerker held her head down casting a shadow over her face as she stepped onto the trail. She walked towards them slowly and with wrath, brandishing her fearsome weapons.

The men started to break into a visible sweat. They stepped back, but Leone continued to close the distance between them. She planted her feet firmly into the ground between them and the girl who was looking up at her, bewildered.

The men were petrified. They thought she was some kind of creature; Maybe a humanoid danger beast? They looked at each other nervously. They drew their swords and charged her. Rather, the first man charged her and the second followed suite because he didn't know what else to do. They raised their swords and made their first attack. They both attacked with downward strikes. Leone looked up, taking careful notes of their movements. Her face was still concealed by the shade from her hair but her eyes beamed a furious yellow because of the moonlight. She threw her claws in the air making an X shape. She brought them down on the men's swords shattering them both and disarming them at the same time. Using the momentum from her first strike, she rebounded thrusting her arms forward and clamping her giant paws around their throats. There was enough force in that blow to shatter both their windpipes. She lifted them off the ground, refusing to let them look at her face. One of the men tried to speak as the other struggled to breathe.

"What the hell are y-"

She threw him out of disgust into the ground like a catapult would sling a thousand pound rock. She didn't want to hear his voice. He whimpered on the ground moaning in pain. She took her free hand and held up the claw on her index finger in front of the man she had in her grasp. It shined ivory white in the moonlight. With frigid execution, she swiftly dug it into the far right side of his abdomen, dragging the talon ruggedly across his stomach, ripping flesh and cloth. He gurgled in pain as his intestines spilled out onto the floor. The girl screeched in terror. She dropped him and he collapsed, pathetically, on his knees. His head fell forward into the dirt at Leone's feet, dead.

Leone turned around to face the man, who lie beaten and broken on the ground. She walked towards him imminently with the intent to finish what she started. When he met the ominous yellow beads in Leone's eyes, his primal survival instincts kicked in. He rolled over and desperately clawed at the dirt trying to get away from the beast pursuing him. It didn't take long before Leone was standing over him.

"Argghh!"

Leone took a lot of force and put it behind her foot, planting it roughly on his head to stop him from moving. Once he stopped squirming, she lifted her foot and sat on his back. She took a handful of his hair and whipped his head back exposing his neck.

"You're… You're a monster!"

He tried to yell.

Leone slit his throat with her gruesome claws. Blood spurted, painting the dirt in front of him a darker tint of brown. She released his hair and his head fell lifelessly into the dirt just as his partner's did.

Leone got up. Her back was to the girl. Leone already knew the situation. The girl was probably poor, trying to make a living in the capital. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and looked like a good candidate for Mr. Shinji. He was one of the drug lords in the slums she despised. She knew the girl was going to end up a drug fiend under Mr. Shinji's custody.

"Go. Get out of here."

Leone commanded.

"T-Thank you…"

The girl said in a shaky voice. She got up and ran off on the trail in the opposite direction of the capital.

Leone fell to her knees and started to sob. Her beastly features receded until she was in her natural form again. She was crushed at the thought that her home was still plagued with slumlords. The fact that she encountered them during her walk, meant that the business was affluent as ever. She pounded the ground as tears fell from her eyes.

' _They're all going to die. By my hand. I have to survive the final battle. I can't die. At least not until all these damned bastards are dead._ _I'm not gonna let these disgusting things happen to my home anymore._ _I have to protect the people in the Slums.'_

Leone was heartbroken and the circumstances of the situation were hardening her. She vowed to herself that she was going to act as a sentinel for the Slums after the war was over.

She dried her eyes and looked up. The horizon was painted a pinkish-purple hue. It was early morning and she was still about an hour away from the hideout.

' _I guess I'm not going back to bed.'_

She chuckled to herself as she stood up, brushing the dust off of her trousers. She stepped off of the trail into the tree line and began her hike back to the hideout.

* * *

Tatsumi was staring at the ceiling for a good while now. It was early morning and he couldn't fall back asleep. Mine's body heaved as she breathed softly, sound asleep beside him. Her hand was still resting on his chest and her head buried in his neck.

He thought about the day's mission. Him and Akame were supposed to be scouting today. They also had a target to eliminate: Kurome. He closed his eyes and gave a confident sigh.

' _Easy day.'_

He thought. He put his hand on Mine's thinking about her assignment. He was concerned for her safety.

' _She's going to set the wire trap on the capital building today with Leone...'_

He was reluctant to let her walk back into enemy territory, but he had to remind himself that she was a talented assassin and she was more than capable of the task. He lifted his hand off of her's and ran his fingers through her hair.

' _She's gorgeous. I think I'll marry her someday...'_

Waking up next to Mine that morning made him the happiest he'd been in awhile. He looked back up at the ceiling putting his hands over his head.

' _Well since I can't sleep anymore, I might as well train or something until the others are ready.'_

He carefully slipped out of the sheets and got off the bed trying not to wake Mine. He walked over to his dresser and began changing.

"Mmmmm~"

He turned his head, looking over his shoulder at the bed with a warm smile. Mine rustled in the sheets grabbing his pillow and hugging it tightly. He continued to change after the pleasant interruption.

After he finished putting on a new pair of shorts and shirt, he walked over to the bed. He lowered himself and kissed Mine on her cheek.

"I love you."

Tatsumi said in a serious and protective tone. He walked out of his room closing the door behind him as quietly as possible. He headed towards the courtyard for an early morning work out.

* * *

Mine awoke to the sun casting it's rays in her eyes. She noticed Tatsumi wasn't next to her. She rolled on her side facing away from the sun and she held herself up, leaning on one of her arms. She rubbed her groggy eyes with the other. She looked down and blushed at Tatsumi's sweater draped over her body. She turned her head and looked out the window to see Tatsumi outside, training already. Her cheeks flushed pink.

' _Wow, he's already training.'_

She sat up in a kneeling position with her hands between her legs. She threw up her arms and let out a glorious yawn.

"Yahhhh!"

She got off the bed and noticed Tatsumi had left her a new pink dress on the headboard of the bed. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. She walked over to the bathroom to wash up after she took his sweater off, folding it nicely and placing it on the bed. She stepped into the shower after she undressed and turned the water on. She stood in the shower thinking about the events of last night.

' _I almost died yesterday... If it wasn't for Tatsumi and Najenda, I'd surely be dead.'_

She clenched her fists out of frustration.

' _To think I would've missed out on being with Tatsumi if I died… Ugh, I can't be so reckless. Today I'm supposed go on a sabotage mission. I need to calm my nerves and focus. I'm not going to make anymore mistakes from here on out.'_

Mine exhaled and concentrated on thinking of new ways to approach combat. She focused as if she was trying to hit a target with Pumpkin 2 miles away. She decided that in order to stay alive, she needed to calculate safety margins before she challenged any engagements. She could no longer wield an imperial arm, so she was already at a disadvantage. She was a genuinely intelligent person though, so she could find out ways to set up her engagements so that they were always in her favor. She reached for grooming products and began using them subconsciously.

' _Alright, I've got it. I think I'll be fine. I mean come on, I'm a badass sniper genius after all!_ _'_

She thought, smiling at her confident attitude as she washed herself.

Mine had always been sure of herself. She had to be. It was necessary to be a good assassin. If you couldn't be completely confident in your abilities, you would surely make mistakes and end up getting yourself killed.

Mine turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She stood in front of the mirror and noticed her box of make up on the sink counter. Her hair shot up and she felt her skin crawl.

' _Tatsumi… you were in my bathroom too!?'_

She reached for the make up with disdain in her movements. She began to do her make up.

After she finished, she walked out of the steamy bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. She walked over to her clean, pink dress. Just then she had a thought that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

' _No way… he didn't.'_

She grabbed her pink dress, but didn't pick it up. She was scared of what was under it. She moved the pink dress slowly, starting to reveal what was underneath.

There they were, a clean pink bra and panties from her underwear drawer. She was in disbelief, completely lost for words. She stood there looking at her underwear.

"Ha... hahahaha..."

Mine laughed nervously. She was pale white. The embarrassment she was feeling was almost too much too handle. Eventually she had to stop delaying the inevitable. She took the towel off, folding it neatly and placing it next to her dress on the headboard. She slipped her panties on and then her bra.

Just as she was reaching behind her back, trying to fasten her bra strap, the door opened. An exhausted and sweaty Tatsumi froze at the sight of Mine bent over, in her underwear. It was a deja vu moment for both of them.

Mine blushed.

"Please don't watch."

She requested.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He apologized and stepped out of the room while she finished changing. He shut the door and put his back to it as he waited for her to finish. He stood there for a couple minutes.

' _At least she didn't try to kill me.'_

He smiled innocently to himself and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You can come in now…"

He heard Mine say from inside the room.

"Oh, alright."

Tatsumi reentered the room. Mine was fully clothed in her normal outfit, with the exception of her leggings. She stood at the window with her back to him tying her ribbons in her hair. He also saw the spool of thread Najenda gave her sitting on the window sill. After she finished her ponytails she faced him and gave him a look of determination. Tatsumi felt more confident in her and his worries started to fade. He smiled back at her.

"I'm gonna clean up now."

Tatsumi said. She nodded.

"Hey, Tatsumi. Thanks for getting new clothes for me..."

She said that with a grievous expression.

"O-Oh... no problem, Mine!"

Tatsumi said fearfully.

"Your room is kinda cute!"

He attempted to lighten the mood.

"Yeah... I bet it is..."

She said sarcastically.

"Sorry... I won't do that anymore."

He said scratching his head.

"You better not."

She started putting her leggings on. Tatsumi took that as an ok to remove himself from the situation and go take his shower.

When he got inside he noticed his shampoo bottle was still open and he picked it up out of curiosity. It was light as a feather. He walked back into his room.

"Mine! You used all my shampoo!"

Tatsumi said angrily. She got angry too and they began arguing.

"That's not my fault! You should have bought more! You don't wait till you're out of shampoo to buy another!"

"Well, I would have if we weren't so damn far away from the capital!"

"You should've anticipated that and stocked up you idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot! and how do you even use that much shampoo!?"

"I have long, soft, flowing hair that I need to take care of. You wouldn't understand."

She folded her arms defiantly.

Tatsumi grumbled and conceded defeat.

Being Mine's boyfriend, this was just one of the many arguments he was going lose. He walked into the bathroom disdainfully and took his shower.

Tatsumi finished his shower and dried himself. He stepped out of the bathroom and noticed Mine had left, probably to the dining area with the others. He noticed that Mine had left her towel on his headboard. He grunted at her inability to put his things back where she'd found them. Frustrated, but understanding, Tatsumi walked into the bathroom hanging the pink towel back on the rack next his navy blue one. He found his normal attire in his dresser and threw that on. He grabbed Incursio and walked out of his room.

" _Women… If only you knew the other side to relationships, Lubba."_

It wasn't long before an irritated Akame wearing a chef's apron came strutting towards him.

"Where have you been, Tatsumi!? It's breakfast time and we need to make food. The others are getting hungry."

Tatsumi looked into Akame's condescending eyes.

"Alright let's g-"

"Aghhh!"

Akame grabbed his arm and dragged him hastily to the dining area's kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Akame stirred the stew in the pot over the stove eating ravenously, as she cooked, from the ingredient platter she had on the counter next to her. Tatsumi stared at her completely stunned. He never got used to seeing just how insatiable Akame's appetite was. She had him slaving in front of the furnace, slinging coal into the billowing flames. He always worked out twice a day. Once in the morning, and once again in the morning, during breakfast time. He wiped the sweat from his brow trying to catch his breath.

"Tatsumi."

She put a cutting board forwards in front of him. Every square inch of it was covered in various vegtables.

"Please dice these up for me. Oh, and be quick, the stews almost at the right temperature."

"Yea, whatever…"

Tatsumi mumbled unintelligibly as he grabbed the heavy cutting board. He walked over the island in the center of the kitchen and began slicing the vegetables.

"Hey, Tatsumi?…"

Akame asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Doesn't Najenda seem a little depressed lately?"

Tatsumi stopped cutting and looked at Akame with a serious expression.

"You know, she has been acting a little cold since she gave us those orders. Maybe she's just sad she lost Susanoo."

Akame retorted.

"Not possible. Susanoo was a Teigu to her and nothing more. She couldn't have been attached to it."

Tatsumi shifted his glance to the cutting board deep in thought. He thought about Lubbock and the time he confessed his love for Najenda to him. He looked back at Akame presenting his resolution.

"It couldn't possibly be Lubbock's death that's making her this depressed, is it?… Actually, Now that I think about it, Lubbock did tell me that he abandoned the successful road his parents paved for him to serve by Najenda's side. If a girl didn't fall far something as romantic as that, I'd be hard pressed to believe she wasn't gay."

Akame stared at him blankly. Tatsumi laughed.

"Anyways, Najenda must have understood what she meant to Lubbock sometime last night and she fell in love with him after it was too late."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth out of frustration at his comrades death.

"I could only imagine how I'd feel… I bet the only thing on her mind right now is revenge. That's probably why she's acting so cold."

Akame nodded and continued stirring the stew as Tatsumi kept cutting the vegetables. Akame thought about Najenda's cruel request to murder Kurome and how it was a definitely a product of her vengeance. She accepted the task, but she wanted to be the one to kill her sister. She wanted to do it alone, painlessly in whatever room the Empire provided for Kurome. Akame wanted to talk to her sister and get closure explaining to her why she did what she did and how much better the future of the capital was going to be. She inhaled before putting her feelings out there.

"Tatsumi… After we finish our first objective, would you mind returning to the hideout alone? I want to execute Kurome on my own."

Tatsumi spun around vigorously replying in an angry tone.

"But, I can't let you be alone in the capital! It's not safe! That's the whole point of the buddy s-"

"Tatsumi. This is something that I have to do."

Tatsumi wasn't convinced.

"But if you get caught in the capital building they'll send way more forces than you can handle! Hell, they'll probably send Esdeath!"

Akame paralyzed Tatsumi with her wicked leer.

"If anyone gets in the way of _my_ farewell with _my_ beloved sister, I will cut them down where they stand."

Tatsumi gained confidence in Akame's unyielding resolve. He was hesitant to grant her request, but he convinced himself that with an attitude like that, Akame might just be able to handle an entire army. Even general Esdeath.

"Ok, Akame. I'll return to the hideout."

He said firmly.

"But you have to promise me you'll work extra hard in the kitchen to make up for your absence!"

Akame blushed happily at Tatsumi's teasing.

"Thank you, Tatsumi."

* * *

"I'm soooooo hungry!"

Leone exasperated as she slammed her head into to her folded arms on the table. Mine looked at her condescendingly.

"How can you be that hungry? We just woke up and it's not even close to noon."

Leone picked her head up leaned on her hand lazily.

"I had to take out some garbage late last night."

She said nonchalantly.

"W-Whaddya mean?..."

Mine asked. She maintained her normal expression of scornful derision, but she sounded a bit intrigued.

"I ran into to some slumlord's henchman. They were trying to have their way with a girl but I stepped in and crushed them."

Mine listened to her unimpressed giving a sigh of relief at the outcome.

"Well that's for the best at least…"

Mine replied. She went on.

"Damn, I thought we killed all those bastards. There's still more of them?"

Mine asked. Leone folded her arms on the table and buried her head in them up to her nose. She looked dejectedly at the table.

" _Yeaa…_ "

Mine sensed the troubled sounding tone in Leone's voice. Her expression softened as she started to feel genuine compassion for her friend.

"Well… When the war is through, we can go on missions and assassinate them and then prevent them from rising to power again."

Leone looked up and smiled at Mine's thoughtful proposition.

"That's optimistic of you Mine. You're forgetting the fact that we're disbanding after the final mission. You remembered that right?"

Mine seemed to grow sad at the realization.

"...Besides, I need to have an active presence in the Slums in order for the slumlords to stay away. I'll make sure they think twice before trying to run drugs in my hometown."

Leone laughed, lightening the mood a little.

"Maybe I'll get a cool nickname like the ' _Night Prowler'_ or something!"

She said with a big, fat grin.

Mine was still upset at the fact that they weren't going to be a team much longer. Even though Mine came across as tough and stern sometimes, she was actually really sensitive and feminine at her core. Leone leaned across the table and got close to Mine's face.

"Don't worry! I'll keep in touch with you and all the guys. I know you can't go long without seeing big sis!"

Leone's endearing attitude made Mine a little less upset. However, she didn't express herself that way. The fact that Leone was able to make her feel that way irritated her.

"Don't call yourself 'big sis'. If you were my sister, I think I would've shot myself a long time ago."

Mine put her hand on Leone's forehead pushing her back across the table as she looked away with her nose in the air.

Leone slumped back in her chair at ease. She made a cat like smile and decided to press Mine about her and Tatsumi's intimacy.

"So have you and Tatsumi thought about your future yet?"

Mine took the advantage of being alone with another girl to talk about her relationship so she entertained Leone's question.

"No, not yet… He seems to be wrapped in the mission and his training. I haven't found an appropriate time to ask him."

She said shyly.

Leone giggled at the cuteness of Mine opening up to her. She collected herself and continued her counseling.

"Well, you know how guys are. They're always so serious and full of purpose. They all have soft spots for us women though. I'm sure if you asked him, he'd have no choice but to discuss it with you!"

Mine looked down at the table shyly. Leone felt like pressing a little further for her own amusement.

"So, Mine, have you thought about the deed yet?"

Mine's ponytails shot up.

"W-What do you mean?"

Leone sat back in her chair laughing comfortably, completely on the other end of the emotional spectrum from Mine.

"Oh come on. Y'know what I mean."

She looked at Leone anxiously.

"Sex, Mine."

Mine gulped as she nervously clutched the fabric at the bottom of her pink dress between her legs.

"For heaven's sakes you can't tell me you haven't thought about that."

Leone said with her hand in the air in a questioning fashion.

"Of course I've thought about it... I mean I slept with him last night. How could, I not?"

Mine replied.

She started blushing madly at the image of Tatsumi wearing a tanktop in the moonlight.

"He's pretty hot, actually..."

Leone was sitting there in shock at what she'd just heard. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She scratched her head trying not to let it show in her face.

"He probably didn't want to do anything because he was turned off by your childish pajamas!"

She laughed at her rationalization. Mine waited for her to finish laughing before revealing the truth of the matter.

"Actually… I forgot my pajamas so I ended up wearing his sweater with nothing but my underwear underneath."

Leone felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and she started to reevaluate her life.

"Well, you guys sure seemed comfortable. I'm surprised you didn't just do it all night long…"

She said with her lips pursed in a jealous and sarcastic tone. Mine answered to her comment.

"He was giving off an anxious vibe in bed. I didn't feel like it was appropriate…"

Leone had had enough talk of Mine's steamy escapades and she ended the conversation swiftly before she could feel anymore jealousy.

"Weeeelllll, it sounds like a plethora of children are going to be in your near future, Mine. Just make sure you survive today so that you can return to your _sexy_ boyfriend with open arms."

She said in a snide tone.

Mine was unphased by the remark. Survivability in combat was what caught her attention.

' _That's right… I have to be really careful in combat. I have to return to Tatsumi. I can't make selfish mistakes. He loves me. If I died, he'd be crushed.'_

"Hmm? What are you thinking about, Mine? Probably drooling over Tatsumi's abs."

She resorted to teasing because she couldn't reconcile her feelings of jealousy.

"No. I'm thinking about combat strategies. I don't have pumpkin anymore so I have to be more tactful."

Leone snapped out of her jealousy.

"Oh that's right. How are you gonna fight without your weapon?"

Mine pulled out two daggers from her bootstraps.

"Since I can't be stealthy with a sniper anymore, I'll just have to be stealthy with these. I probably won't have to use them but if the situation comes, the enemy won't know what hit them."

"Concealed melee weapons, huh? That's unlike you. I bet they'll help you become more fierce on the battlefield and in the sack!"

This made Mine red. She grabbed the daggers and pointed them at Leone.

"Dammit Leone, don't make me feel weird before a mission! Aren't you supposed to be my partner!?"

Leone laughed at how angry Mine was getting.

"Aw come on, just chill out. You'll be fine. I was just messing."

Mine sighed at Leone putting her daggers back in her boot straps.

 _She's never gonna change, I swear… She's more of a pervert than Lubbock was sometimes.'_

Leone held up her fist confidently.

"Just don't take any of my kills out there!"

Mine smiled at her and they shared a moment of confidence.

The door to the kitchen opened up as Akame and Tatsumi emerged with soup bowls in hand. They placed the hot stews in front of their allies and sat down.

"Ahhh! It smells so good!"

Leone said.

"It does! Thank you Akame."

Mine said graciously.

Akame smiled and nodded her from across the table.

"We're so lucky to have you, Akame."

Leone complimented Akame.

Tatsumi slumped in his chair, feeling unappreciated. He didn't look for compliments anymore. Nobody ever once acknowledge his work in the kitchen.

As they were eating, Najenda walked into the room. She was wearing a blank tank top with a towel around the back of her neck. She took her seat at the head of the table in front of the steaming hot stew.

"Looks good, Akame."

Tatsumi grunted at the compliment.

Najenda smiled at him and acknowledged him for once.

"I'm sure Tatsumi also had an important role in the making of this wonderful breakfast."

She shifted her glance to Mine.

"You should feel lucky, Mine. Not all men know how to cook."

Mine couldn't find anything about that to disagree with and she nodded.

Tatsumi was glowing with happiness. It was the first compliment he'd received since he joined Night Raid.

After they all finished eating, Najenda brought up the day's mission.

"We all understand the objectives of today's mission right?"

They all sat up purposefully and nodded.

"Good. Get in your respective groups and get ready to leave. I'll handle the dishes."

The groups gave each other affirmative glances and they began shuffling in their chairs getting ready to leave. One by one they walked out of the room.

"Oh and Tatsumi."

Tatsumi stopped just before walking out of the door.

"Fix the broken wall when you get back. I just had a pallet of bricks and cement shipped to the hideout from Resistance HQ so don't forget to do that."

' _Shit… that's right'_

He scratched his head innocently at the actions he made out of blind passion that night.

"Yeah, I'll do that. Sorry hahaha."

Najenda closed her eyes and smiled.

"It's ok, Tatsumi. That's all. You can go now."

Tatsumi walked out of the dining area and down the hall, hastily trying to catch up with the others.

He walked through the opened door of the equipment room to find his comrades outfitting themselves with disguises. Akame handed him a black hooded robe. He adopted their sense of duty and threw on the robe over his coat.

"Take this seriously, guys. The information we gather today is vital for the final mission."

Mine said, as she finished sharpening her daggers and concealing them on her ankles.

"Yup, we hear ya."

Leone assured.

' _I wonder what Najenda's planning for phase 2. I guess part of it depends on what information we gather. I better be on high alert.'_

Tatsumi thought, silently agreeing with Mine's sentiment.

"I don't know what Najenda's planning, but I'm ready to pound anything into smithereens!"

Leone exclaimed as she gave a thumbs up to everyone and making her black cloak sway in the wind as she spun around. Her confidence was rubbing off on everyone and they all smiled feeling the exact same way as her.

Tatsumi grasped Incursio tightly.

' _Yeah, whatever the plan is, we're gonna take it to them hot and heavy. I'm ready for anything!'_

Tatsumi glanced up and noticed Akame was looking at him with a confident smile. He was sure that they were thinking the same thoughts.

After Night Raid finished squaring themselves away for their day in the Imperial capital, they left out of the door in the equipment room. Behind the room was a very ambiguous trail that linked into the main trail to the capital via the forest. The four walked down the trail, calmly as caravans and carriages passed them by. They tried to act calm and collected so that they just seemed like hardy adventurers looking for quests. They filled the roles well because they hadn't been questioned yet. Until today.

Somewhere on the middle of the road, an official looking carriage decorated by the Imperial crests slowly crept passed them.

' _Crap… Why are they slowing down.'_

He looked at Mine who was returning his glance. He was wondering why she looked angry.

' _What did that idiot do!?'_

"Stay cool, guys."

Leone whispered.

They continued walking like nothing was wrong.

An important looking official stepped out of the carriage along with two seriously armored guards.

"Hardy travellers! May I have a word with you?"

He stood pompously in their way with his hands interlocked by his belt.

"What can we help you with, sir?"

Tatsumi answered, incredulously.

"We're looking for a stone building that's really well hidden. If you've come across anything like that, we'd appreciate some information."

They started to get a little nervous due to the fact they were still relatively close to the hideout.

Tatsumi spoke, up feigning a surprised tone.

"No, we haven't seen anything like that. We were just on our way from a little up north, so we haven't really strayed far from the trail other than to get water and such. Why would anyone want to live out here?"

He said looking into the forest.

"Well, we have a little issue with citizens resisting lately…"

His face contorted into a disgusting smile.

"We caught some, and with a little work, we got them to speak up about Night Raid, the assassin group that's been terrorizing our capital. They said they resided in a hideout somewhere in here."

' _Wonderful…'_

Tatsumi thought, holding his head down trying to conceal his identity.

"Well, we'll keep an eye out. We'll report to your command in the city if anything comes up."

The official smiled.

"If only more citizens could be as cooperative as you. Please, continue to the capital and have a wonderful today."

The official nodded them.

"Yeah… you too."

Tatsumi nodded him and the group kept on towards the capital as the carriage continued in the other direction.

' _This isn't good. They're close to discovering our hideout. I need to take note of that when I report back to Najenda.'_

The look back towards the front of the trail as the carriage rolled off out of sight.

"Whew, that was a close one. I'm a little worried about Najenda though. Do you think they'll be able to find our hideout?"

Leone asked.

"No. We're very well concealed deep within in the tree line. It'd take a large group of scouters to narrow down our position. By the time they found us out, we'd have already attacked the capital."

Mine answered intelligently.

"Anyways, let's just focus on the mission."

Leone nodded her as they walked onwards towards the capital walls which were just starting to come into view over the dense forest.

When they arrived at the gates, they prepared their minds to be calm and collected as they went through the checkpoint. The guards stared at them as they walked through the gates onto the bustling cobblestone streets of the capital. Their body language was calm enough to not give any red flags of threats to the guards and they walked unchallenged down the streets.

When they came upon a square with a fountain in the middle, they decided to split up. Mine and Leone headed for the massive foreboding building in the center of the city surrounded by a thick concrete wall, Tatsumi and Akame remained seated on the fountain trying to look normal like they belonged there. Tatsumi and Mine shared a glance that told the unspoken vibe of: Please stay safe, as they parted ways.

Once the other unit had fallen out of sight, Tatsumi looked at Akame who was staring at the sorrowful and defeated faces of the pedestrians in the square. She noticed the despair in their faces. It hurt her to her soul because she knew the heart wrenching losses they were suffering in their personal lives. It made her angry, reminding her of nothing but passionate vengeance.

He furrowed his brow in an empathetic way and he broke her concentration.

"Hey, Akame. We'd better start scouting."

"...Ok."

Her voice emotionless in reply.

She joined his side and they walked out of the square towards all the Imperial command posts. They took note of the number of soldiers coming in and out of each one and the level intensity in their steps.

"Any signs of Night Raid?"

Asked the next group of scouters to the group returning. Akame and Tatsumi eavesdropped as they slyly walked past the command with their heads held low under their hoods.

"Nope, not a damn trace."

He answered.

"Don't worry. With enough manpower, we'll find them eventually."

He jumped in the back of the caravan and the armor clad horse drove them off to join the rest of the search party. Tatsumi looked towards Akame speaking softly.

"Looks like their focusing a lot energy on looking for our hideout during the day. I'm guessing while these guys are out the one's who are back in the capital are training at the Empire's facilities. We'd better check for sure."

They took a rest at one of the cafes. They bought a map and took careful note of the presence of the guards in the capital marking where all the outposts where. After they finished they set off towards the training facilities to prove Tatsumi's work shifts theory.

* * *

Leone and Mine were about a block away from the capitol building walls. Mine had the spool grasped tightly in her hand under her black cloak.

"Hey Leone, when we get there, I need you to pretend like you're saying goodbye to me and the go the opposite direction. That way, we don't draw any suspicion.

"Sounds good to me."

She replied.

"Here"

Mine held out her hand pinching her thumb on the side of her index finger as if she was offering Leone an invisible quarter.

" _Here_ what? There's nothing there!"

Mine sighed at the blonde.

"It's the thread you moron. Just grab it."

Leone touch the spot where the quarter would be. She winced in pain at the imperceptibly small fiber cutting her finger. She ignored it and got a good grip around it.

"Ow! Why do I have to hold this end?"

She complained.

"Because, you heal faster than all of us. Just suck it up."

Leone pouted at her. Mine didn't have to worry about getting cut because she could just hold the steel container as the thread unraveled.

The two girls came to the face of the wall. The thread was in full view but completely invisible due to it's size.

They faced each other to say goodbye. Mine reached out of her robe with her free hand grabbing Leone's robe tightly feigning tears in her eyes. She tried to make it look like she was torn at the fact that they were leaving.

"D-Do you reallyyy have to leave noooww, big sisss?...~"

Leone blushed so hard at how cute Mine's watery eyes were looking up her that she almost lost focus.

"Unfortunately, this is where we part ways little one. I gotta get to my martial arts class right now or I'm gonna be late."

Mine sniffled and made a pouty face preparing to cry. Mine's acting was so good that Leone felt like situation was real. Leone started to kneel down towards Mine to console her but she huffed, turning around and darting off around the capital wall.

' _I guess that's my cue'_

Leone got up taking note of the feeling of tension on the other end of her wire. She started to wind it around the capitol building wall.

' _Man that was cute… I know she doesn't like me as a sister, but I wouldn't mind it if I had a little one like her…'_

The amazingly thin wire wrapped around the wall as Leone walked towards Mine on the other side.

A few minutes passed and Leone noticed a small pink girl round the corner. She smiled excitedly as she hastened her step. They eventually came face to face.

"So."

She said quietly as she held out the spool inconspicuously.

"Just hold your wire to the spool and the steel casing should fuse them together."

Leone placed her end inside the steel box. She heard some burning sounds and the empty steel case fell to the ground.

"Did it work?"

Leone asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Mine said deviously.

She grabbed Leone's arm with both of hers. She pulled one of her fingers out and pressed it against the wall pulling down with her arms like she was pulling a lever.

"Ow! What the hell, Mine?"

Thankfully, the wire was too small to draw any blood and just as Mine suspected, the wire was firmly wrapped around the wall.

"That really, hurt!"

"It was crucial to the mission, big sis."

Mine said warmly as she picked up the steel casing. Leone felt better at her friends cute expression.

" _Hey! What are you two doing!"_

They looked at a guard across the street who broke into a sprint towards them.

"I guess we'd better get going now."

Mine said.

Leone agreed and they both ran to the next block and down an ally before the guard could see where they went.

"Damn, I guess we're gonna have to take the sewers out of the city again."

Leone stated, climbing down a manhole. Mine followed behind her but she missed a rung on the stairs and fell onto her bottom in the dark tunnels of the Imperial sewers. Leone laughed at her flustered little companion as she dusted herself off angrily shouting various profane words.

"I fucking hate these sewers!"

* * *

"Just as I thought."

Tatsumi and Akame were on a rooftop overlooking a training facility where countless ranks of soldiers were training. The evening sun was casting an orange glow on the courtyard below. They were practicing hand to hand, ranged, and sword fighting techniques and vigorously at that. Tatsumi wasn't swayed by the challenge of taking them all on at once, but the whole army together might be a problem. This was only a fraction of the soldiers.

"There's a lot of them and they all seem about intermediately skilled. Fighting the army in conjunction with the Jaegers may be hard to deal with. We might have to result to fighting unfairly..."

Tatsumi smiled confidently.

"...But I'm sure a heartbroken Najenda will know exactly how to handle this."

He started sweating apprehensively at the thought of a heartbroken Najenda in combat.

' _Jeez, that must be one scary opponent to prepare for.'_

Tatsumi got up dusting off his pants.

"Ok. I think we've gathered enough information for Najenda's plan."

Tatsumi noticed Akame was staring of dejectedly again. He sighed at her, aware of what was about to come next.

"Alright… I guess I'll be heading back now."

Akame nodded without looking at him or saying a word.

Tatsumi ran off towards the capitol gates, looking over his shoulder at Akame occasionally. She sat unmoving on the rooftop.


	5. Chapter 5

Akame sat on the top of the capitol building gazing into the blood red moon like a stone gargoyle, unwavering and motionless. After the last voice she heard had gone silent, and the last light she saw go dim, she sprung off the gothic rooftop, gracefully sliding down the dome of the building and deftly landing in the grassy field of the capitol buildings ornate courtyard. She glanced around cautiously before she made her way up the marble steps and into the halls decorated with arches on each side. She walked aimlessly for some time jumping behind the arches every time she heard movement.

Akame almost covered the full perimeter of the courtyard when she finally came face to face with a plaque that had _Jaegers_ engraved into it. She glanced at it and exhaled looking to her right down the hall. Akame was feeling happy, but anxious at the same time at the thought of seeing her sister. She knew she was getting close and she began walking towards the doors that reflected each other across the walls of the hall. As she came up to them she read the engraving on them.

' _Bors… Run… Wave…'_

As she came to the last door, she grasped Murasame tightly, reading the golden name in front of her engraved in beautiful calligraphy.

' _...Kurome.'_

She placed her hand on the doorknob apprehensively. She braced herself emotionally and opened the door.

The light in the hall illuminated the room with yellow light taking the shape of the doorway. The rest of the room was black with the exception of the window which shown navy blue with a tint of red casting an ominous red color on the bed. Akame stepped into the room shutting the door carefully behind her. As she walked to the bed, she could make out the pale white chin of a young girl illuminated by the moon's glow.

"I was waiting for you to show up, sis."

Kurome sat up in her bed in full view of Akame. She was pale and her eyes had dark purple rings under them. Kurome's sickly state was almost too much for Akame to handle. Akame's mouth was open and she felt paralyzed with grief.

"I wanted to share this pocky I bought in the square for us. It's really g-"

Kurome started coughing violently as she reached over to her nightstand trying to pick up the treat. Akame rushed to her bedside, holding her up. Akame started to sob.

"Kurome... what did they do to you?"

Kurome tried to find a good break between her coughing fit to answer her sister's question.

"They… They made me stronger to fight rebels a-"

She started to cough again.

"...and to preserve the prosperity of the Imperial capital."

Her innocence pierced Akame's heart from it's sheer falsehood.

"What part of taking advantage of talented young girls like you is a sign of an Empire's prosperity? They purposely experimented on you knowing that you didn't have a chance of surviving. It just infuriates me that you still don't see the error in your ways, Kurome. The Empire does so much wrong. They burn down villages full of children and families just for being unwilling to pay tariffs or even just for their own amusement in some cases."

Kurome felt the cold truth in Akame's words and she broke eye contact, looking off into the darkness in the room. Akame went on.

"Here in the city, the amount of impoverished people is crushing and day in and day out, I never see any guards even so much as help an injured child off the ground. They just let them lay their until they get trampled and then they haul their body off to mass graves. They don't even get a proper burial. How can you can call an Empire, such as this, _prosperous_ let alone strive to protect it."

Kurome was silent. Akame hugged her sister tightly.

"I love you so much, Kurome, and I hate seeing you like this! Why couldn't you have realized the truth earlier and joined Night raid with me!? Why... Why, Kurome!?

Her sobs were uncontrollable and her voice was shaky.

"I guess I _have_ failed to step into the light, huh sis…"

Kurome placed her hand on Akame's back caressing her softly.

"I was blind because I was too much into getting stronger and the missions I was getting sent on where just instigating me. I guess that's why I was so heartbroken when you didn't feel the same and took off. I vowed to be stronger than you out of frustration rather than looking deeper into things… Now look where I am... I'm sorry, Akame."

Akame looked into her sister's docile black eyes clutching her shoulders. Tears were streaming down both of their faces.

"You don't have to worry about that now. It's ok, Kurome."

She smiled at her.

"I promise that I'm going to make the Imperial's pay for what they've done to you and everyone else. After they're buried in the dust, the capital is going to return to the peaceful city it once was. No more suffering… I'll make sure of it, Kurome."

Akame managed to form and warm struggled to return it, but she managed. Kurome started to cough. It was unrelenting.

"Kurome!"

Akame's tears rendered her a helpless grief stricken teenager. She held her sister desperate to spend more time with her.

"A-Akame… Good luck... ok?"

Her sister smiled and passed silently in her arms.

Akame sat on Kurome's bed clutching what was her sister in her arms. Her sobs were loud and heart wrenching.

"Why… Why, why, why..."

Akame punched the bed sheets.

 _They saw her walk in here!_

 _Kurome's room!? Oh no!_

Akame tucked her sister in and fixed her hair before saying her final farewell.

"Damned Imperials!"

Akame kicked the door into the Imperials behind it thrusting her sword through the thick oak wood, impaling the two guards underneath. Two more units ran towards her flanking from both sides. They were formed in rows of three with columns about 30 men deep each. She flung the blood off of her blade is it hummed, cutting the air. Her eyes flashed demonic red as she turned and instantly darted towards the guards standing between her and the courtyard on the other side.

Akame slashed right parrying the first two soldiers as she carried the momentum from her swing into the third guards hand. She ducked and swung low and wide, severing tendons in ankles as about seven guards fell over, screaming in agony. The corridor was narrow so it was hard for the guards to fill in for the incapacitated. Akame took advantage of that and began swinging her blade in a blinding flurry of steel. Blood shot out in all directions painting the artful renaissance walls a primal dark red color. After she got halfway through all the guards, she notice the unit behind her was closing in so she dug her sword into the middle guards chest pushing against him as she battered her way through the ranks and into the courtyard. She heaved the guard off of her sword and she picked up a good momentum in her sprint again across the grassy field.

 _Don't let her get away!_

Akame leaped over the inner wall surrounding the courtyard with ease and continued her dead sprint towards the massive outer wall. She was far too fast for the lumbering guards to chase her and her black contours made her almost impossible to follow in the night.

As she closed in on the wall, she saw a large mass of humanlike figures standing in front of all the entrances. Akame intelligently planned for this, using a rope to climb the wall rather than walking in. She kept up her pace running straight at the guards. She jumped onto the shoulders of one the guards, front flipping up to the rope she had left on the wall, scaling it hastily.

 _Shit! Why did nobody cut that down!?_

 _It's too dark sir, we couldn't see it!_

 _Dammit! You idiots are going to let her get away!_

The guards voices became incoherent as Akame lept off the top of the outer wall rappelling down the other face of it with her rope. When she landed, she carefully surveyed her surroundings for military personnel and headed off towards the gates after putting on her disguise she had left on top of the outer wall.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay in the capital. Please come again, traveler."

The checkpoint guard said waving farewell to Akame whose identity was concealed underneath her black cloak.

"Thanks… I will."

Akame forced out a reply and continued on her way back to the hideout. Her pace grew faster once she was out of sight of the capital. She knew the search party would come looking for her soon.

Tatsumi wiped the sweat from his forehead as he placed the next brick on the wet cement. It was late night and all the others were asleep except him.

' _Damn, this is taking longer than I thought.'_

He thought before continuing his labor.

' _Akame should be returning soon. I hope she's alright…'_

He was very concerned for her safety because they were partners and if she got into trouble he'd feel like it was entirely his fault. He also really didn't want her to die. He liked having her around.

Tatsumi slathered cement onto the next open spot on the wall and placed a brick onto it. He was almost done. There was just a small hole where the red moon's light shown through. He took the opportunity to rest putting his hands on his hips and sighing heavily. He looked at the red glow thinking about Mine and her pretty face.

' _I wonder if she'd be mad if got into bed with her after I finish…'_

In the midst of enjoying his rest, he heard footsteps behind him. He could tell who it was just by the sound of them. He felt two feminine arms wrap around his lower abdomen and the center of his back started to feel wet. His cheeks grew warm.

"Tatsumi…"

Her voice was broken.

"I'm so hurt."

The voice started to sob. Tatsumi felt his heart wrench as he tried to understand the pain in the girl's voice. He caressed the hands folded over by his waist and he interlocked his fingers with hers.

"It's ok… I'm sure she's in a better place now."

The sobs grew louder as the girl grasped Tatsumi's hands tightly.

"I didn't even have to kill her… she was so weak already that she p-

Tatsumi tightened his grip this time as the girl's voice choked up.

...she passed in my arms."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth in pain.

"I couldn't even kill her myself, Tatsumi… The Empire killed my sister…"

Tatsumi turned around with agony in his expression as he came to meet the rose colored eyes of Akame whose soaking wet face was completely dominated by despair. She grasped his shirt and cried madly into his chest. He ceased to a more solemn state as he hugged her tightly and comfortingly.

"Kurome's suffering has ended, Akame… She probably wouldn't be too happy if she saw how much you were crying right now. All you can do is fulfill your promise to her. When tomorrow comes, let's put an end to the cancer that corrupts the capitol together."

Akame broke herself away from Tatsumi, facing away from him. She took deep breathes as she attempted to regain her bearing.

"Y-Yes… I'm sorry you had to see me like this, again."

She wiped her eyes and turned to face Tatsumi again.

"The empire has to pay."

She resumed her normal expression again before giving Tatsumi an assuring nod.

Tatsumi smiled back at her. He threw up his fist and smiled gallantly.

"I agree. Let's show them what happens when they mess us."


End file.
